2 Months post op - frustrated and feeling disheartened :-(

[Bandita36 0]

Hi Everyone, Feeling a bit down due to lack of weight loss. I am 2 months post op and 1 week post 1st fill. I have lost a stone since op which I was pleased with but now its been about 3 weeks since I lost anything. I feel no restriction at all. Although I am eating healthily, I can still manage all foods and manage to finish everything on my plate most times without any problems and without feeling at least full. I dont feel hungry after eating but I dont feel FULL either. I could easily carry on eating. My nutritionist advised me to cut out carbs for the next 6 months to give my band chance to work and to boost weight loss but hey isn't that what we all know as DIETING??

I know I have to work with the band for it to work and I know I should start to introduce regular excercise but surely if I am dieting and excercising that means I back to square one?

Any advise or tips would be most appreciated. Thanks in advance guys:smile2:

[Mimilou2004 13]

I feel your pain, Bandster Hell is rightly named. I gained wt til my second fill and that was 4 months post op. The band is a tool to help, but won't work miracles. You will feel better overall if you start exercising even a little. Yes, watching calories will always be important because even with good restriction high calorie slider food goes down very smoothly and easily. Congratulations on your wt loss so far and hang in there, it will get better.

Mimi

[kiz 1]

You may need two or more fills to get to good long lasting restriction. It's just been a week since your last fill, so you may find that you feel more restriction during your second week (that happens to some people). As you lose more weight, if there's fat around your stomach as you lose that fat you're band will become looser.

If your doctor recommends you measure your meals, be sure you do that so you don't overeat. I'm at my "sweet spot" and I still measure because I could eat more than my prescribed meal size, but the amount I'm allowed to eat gives me satiety for several hours. Some people are more sensitive to their band than I am, because I have very few problem foods, and I could eat 50%, maybe even 100%, bigger meals than my doctor recommends. Don't expect to fill full in the traditional sense, and in the way you may be used to. It's a feeling of *not* being hungry that stays with you.

The band is a tool, but it's a tool we have to work with. I know you don't mean that you expected to eat junk and lose weight, but because of the limited amount of food we're eating we do have to make healthy food choices to stay healthy.

I don't consider this a traditional diet because I'm not hungry, let alone starving, as I've felt on so many diets over the years. I see it as a lifestyle change. I eat healthy foods (I don't consider an occasional treat as cheating either), much smaller portions, and I exercise.

Please try not to be so hard on yourself. You've just had one fill, and it sounds like you're going to need a bit more to have restriction.

[bashful1269 5]

I agree bandster hell is rightfully named! I finally hit my sweet spot after my fourth fill. It's taking some time to realize that I don't need to eat just because it's time.

You definitely need to get another fill so that you can feel the restriction and start losing again. Do make healthy choices the majority of the time and don't stress out on an occasional treat. Occasional being the key word.

Exercise is an important part of this journey, our bodies are built to survive therefore they will adjust to the lower calories. I switch up my routine as much as possible just to keep my body guessing. One day I'll eat a few more calories than the next and I'll do yoga or zumba instead of my normal cardio. If you hate to exercise just start small like parking in the farthest parking spot or taking the steps instead of the elevator. Make small realistic goals and don't be afraid to push yourself.

Good luck to you.

[crzytchr 3]

My nutritionist advised me to cut out carbs for the next 6 months to give my band chance to work and to boost weight loss but hey isn't that what we all know as DIETING??

Bandster hell is awful. You will probably need another fill or two before you are actually satisfied with smaller meals. As far as the cutting carbs, I am so sorry your nutritionist suggests that. I won't tell you to go against what he/she says, but dang. I eat pretty much whatever I want, just about 1/3 of what I did prior to banding. I measure a serving out of whatever I eat. I eat around a cup at each meal, about 1200-1500 per day. I journal my food so I always know my calorie count per day and where my calories are coming from. Good luck and know that it should get easier for you once you reach restriction.

[Jenno2 0]

This is where I get confused. When you eat just a cup of food is that around 300 calories? I am having problems with amounts. I am about 8 wks out and I am suppose to start adding food that I can chew thoroughly. I am not restricted yet so I must be careful. This has been a definite challenge for me. Prior to LAP-BAND® I restricted my calories to 1000 a day.

[crzytchr 3]

This is where I get confused. When you eat just a cup of food is that around 300 calories? I am having problems with amounts. I am about 8 wks out and I am suppose to start adding food that I can chew thoroughly. I am not restricted yet so I must be careful. This has been a definite challenge for me. Prior to LAP-BAND®® I restricted my calories to 1000 a day.

It depends on the food as to how many calories are in a cup.

I consistently eat 1200-1500. Any less than that and my body stops losing after a couple of weeks. Everyone is different. Since you aren't restricted, be sure to measure your food out and sit down to eat. Eat what you served yourself slowly, even if you body will allow you to eat faster. You may find that you are satisfied with that amount, even if you aren't full. It is difficult to lose until you have proper restriction, but it can be done. It just takes more work for you, unfortunately.

There are still times that I WANT more food, even though I am not really hungry for it. That is the work part that I still must do. The "head hunger" never really goes away.:frown:

[jms462001 9]

This is where I get confused. When you eat just a cup of food is that around 300 calories? I am having problems with amounts. I am about 8 wks out and I am suppose to start adding food that I can chew thoroughly. I am not restricted yet so I must be careful. This has been a definite challenge for me. Prior to LAP-BAND® I restricted my calories to 1000 a day.

If you measure out 1/2 cup of chopped up chicken, you fill find it is quite a good sized amt. My nut says veggies don't count in the measurement as they are mostly Water.

How many cals we each can eat and lose weight varies depending on how efficient our bodies are and how much we exercise. It could be 800 for one and 1800 for someone else.

It is important to choose carefully what we eat during the weight loss phase and "diet", follow whatever works for you, but don't just eat anything you want. Make good choices for a good weight loss because the first year or two are supposed to be critical for good weight loss with the lapband. It determines how successful we are going to be.

Until you reach proper restriction, you will not readily lose weight, but once you get filled to the right point, you will lose very quickly if you stay away from slider foods.

[jms462001 9]

Hi Everyone, Feeling a bit down due to lack of weight loss. I am 2 months post op and 1 week post 1st fill. I have lost a stone since op which I was pleased with but now its been about 3 weeks since I lost anything. I feel no restriction at all. Although I am eating healthily, I can still manage all foods and manage to finish everything on my plate most times without any problems and without feeling at least full. I dont feel hungry after eating but I dont feel FULL either. I could easily carry on eating. My nutritionist advised me to cut out carbs for the next 6 months to give my band chance to work and to boost weight loss but hey isn't that what we all know as DIETING??

I know I have to work with the band for it to work and I know I should start to introduce regular excercise but surely if I am dieting and excercising that means I back to square one?

Any advise or tips would be most appreciated. Thanks in advance guys:smile2:

The difference is that this time if you diet and exercise you will lose the weight much faster with no slide backs and most importantly........ after all your efforts YOU WON'T GAIN IT BACK!!!!!!!Yeah!! Also, you will not be starving while you do it!